Author: Ryan Gilday

Report Card for Supt. Boyd Jumping out of my lane to check-in on the August 3rd Special Meeting of the Lowell School Committee to discuss the 2021-2022 Evaluation of Superintendent Joel Boyd. Based on the following scale, the Super received an overall rating of 2.89 out of a possible 4.0: The 2.89 rating is below…

One Issue Recap – Sale of LeLacheur Park to UMass Lacking other options and thus any leverage, the Council voted 11-0 to sell LeLacheur to UMass Lowell for One Million Dollars. The vote was the culmination of approximately 18 months of negotiation between the city and the university for transfer of the property. I should…

1. A Brief Recap This Week I missed about half of the live meeting, but was able to half-listen to most of what I missed on the LTC replay. As such, I’m skipping over several topics that are probably worthy of attention. In other words, business as usual. Of note, there was plenty of room…

1. Public Hearings ORDINANCE – AMEND FEE SCHEDULE – ACCIDENT REPORT.PDF ORDINANCE – AMEND FEE SCHEDULE – ACCIDENT REPORT.PDF ORDINANCE – AMEND SELF-SERVICE GAS STATION C.155 S.13.PDF ORDINANCE – CREATE LPD REVOLVING FUNDS.PDF 2. Motion Responses A) MOTION RESPONSE – GREETER CITY HALL ARPA LANGUAGE SERVICES.PDF B) MOTION RESPONSE – NALOXBOXES.PDF C) MOTION RESPONSE –…

1. 25 MPH City-Wide Speed Limit C. Rourke – Req. City Mgr. Have The DPD And The LPD Look Into Feasibility Of A City Wide 25 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit. I was pleased to see this idea back before the council. In 2018, then Councilor Karen Cirillo (remember her?) filed a similar motion: MOTION…

1. Unfinished Business C. Scott/C. Rourke/C. Robinson – Req. City Mgr. Have The DPD Look Into Ordinance To Increase Cap For Marijuana Dispensaries. C. Scott – Req. City Mgr. Provide A Report Of The Energy Output That Has Been Generated From Each Of The City’s Solar Sites And Whether They Are All Performing Above Expectations….

Last week there were 19 Motion Responses on the agenda. Due to time constraints, they were pushed aside. Someone put time, effort and tax dollars into each motion response. If you want to hear about them, either you’ll have to wait a couple of weeks or they will disappear forever into the city’s janky Excel…

1. Racism and Public Health In July of 2020, then Mayor John Leahy filed the following motion: M. Leahy – Req. City Council Vote To Assert That Racism Is A Public Health Crisis Affecting The Health, Safety And Well-Being Of Residents In The City Of Lowell, And To Affirm Our Commitment To Efforts Aimed At…

1. Motion Responses (A) Motion Response – COVID-19 Wastewaster Surveillance.pdf (B) Motion Response – Minimum Wage.pdf (C) Motion Response – Executive Director of Water.pdf (D) Motion Response – Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Map and Locations.pdf (E) Motion Response – Suffolk and Broadway Street.pdf (F) Motion Response – Traffic on Concord Street from Church Street to…

The historically under-taxed citizens of Lowell will be playing some catch-up this year. Late in the evening, (and after some minor drama), the Council adopted the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget (without any cuts). The total budget is $502,555,769. To the taxpayer, this means a 5.5% property tax increase. The increase was justified by the…